REINSTATED

The Public Service Commission (PSC) has ordered the immediate reinstatement of an officer who was suspended after raising concerns about procurement practices at the Houses of Parliament (HoP), according to the officer’s attorney.

The officer was interdicted from duty on half salary with effect from May 1 and has now been directed to return to her substantive position elsewhere in the public service. The PSC also ruled that she be paid the 50 per cent of salary withheld during the interdiction period. At the time the issues arose, the officer was on an acting assignment at Gordon House.

The Office of the Services Commissions (OSC), the administrator for the PSC, advised the officer of the decision on Monday.

In correspondence seen by The Gleaner, the OSC said the interdiction had been effected “based on reports made by the Clerk to the Houses of Parliament, for disciplinary proceedings to be instituted”. However, the specific reasons cited by the clerk, Colleen Lowe, were not disclosed in the reinstatement letter. Lowe previously declined to comment when contacted by The Gleaner.

The OSC said that “after careful consideration of all the evidence presented”, the PSC agreed at a December 17 meeting that the officer should be reinstated and compensated. The decision was subsequently approved by the governor general and communicated to the relevant permanent secretary.

Attorney-at-law Anthony Williams, who represents the officer, said his client has been “vindicated”. He argued that the situation arose after the officer legitimately refused to follow certain instructions, noting that the specific allegations against her were never disclosed.

‘STOOD HER GROUND’

Williams said his client felt “humiliated” but “stood her ground and let it be known that no one, including the Clerk of the House of Parliament, was going to walk over her”.

He also claimed that some individuals who had given statements in support of the complaint later retracted them.

“So, unfortunately – very, very unfortunately – the civil war that took place, and perhaps is still taking place in the Houses of Parliament, is really the mess,” the attorney said.

The officer’s acting stint at Gordon House ended on March 28. She returned to her substantive post at another public entity but was advised of her interdiction several weeks later.

The PSC’s decision comes amid scrutiny of procurement practices at Parliament, following a special audit by the Auditor General’s Department (AuGD). The audit identified breaches in the $3.2-million procurement of 16 air-conditioning units as well as governance concerns. While no official link has been established between the procurement dispute and the interdiction, internal correspondence obtained by The Gleaner has raised questions about timing.

Those records show that the officer questioned the processing of several payments, including invoices for the AC units, in March. In a March 19 email, she warned that installing the units and processing payments without confirmed approvals or funding would breach government regulations.

Despite her objections, instructions were later issued for the payments to be processed.

In a March 26 email, the clerk insisted that the payments be handled immediately, warning that failure to do so “will be considered as insubordination”. Two days later, the officer’s tenure at HoP ended.

The AuGD later concluded that the AC procurement did not follow required procedures, lacked a proper needs assessment, and was not included in Parliament’s procurement plan or capital budget. The audit also flagged breaches in the $24-million renovation of the Members’ Lounge.

The clerk has not responded to Gleaner questions about whether internal objections and directives were shared with auditors.

House Speaker Juliet Holness has publicly defended the clerk’s performance, arguing that efforts to strengthen accountability have generated “accusations and spite” from staff.

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